Popular Telugu film star and founder president of Jana Sena Party Pawan Kalyan has once again raised his voice against what he called attempts to impose Hindi language and North Indian culture on South India.
Pawan, who had aggressively campaigned in support of TDP-BJP alliance in Andhra Pradesh in 2014 elections, said that he was not against North India but only against its monopoly over Southern India.
Speaking to the media in Hyderabad after meeting the Telangana State CPI(M) secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram in Hyderabad, Pawan Kalyan said that he was planning to float South India Cultural Forum to protect the region’s culture.
“I am not against North India or North Indians. I am only demanding that people from South India should get the same opportunities and importance in North India as the North Indians were getting in the south,” he said.
He, however, made it clear that he was not opposing the appointment of an IAS officer from North India Anil Singhal as the CEO of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam by the Andhra Pradesh Government.
Touching on the subject of regional discrimination between North and South India, he said that he had raised the issue when he had met Narendra Modi for the first time in Gujarat. “I had drawn his attention to the fact that south Indians were being looked down upon. The people who want the unity and solidarity of the country should raise their voices against such problems,” he said.
This is the second time that the Telugu actor has raised the issue of alleged discrimination and neglect of South Indians and the domination of Hindi language and northern culture. “I am not against Hindi. In my movie Khushi, there was a Hindi song. I only want equal importance for South India,” he said.
His meeting with the CPI(M) leader assumed significance in view of his declaration that his party will contest the next election on its own. This is being seen as a clear indication that he will not remain part of the TDP-BJP alliance in the next elections.
Showering praise on the commitment of the CPI(M) to fight on the people’s issues, Pawan Kalyan said that he was ready to work with mass organisations on the problems being faced by the masses.
Veerabhadram had met Pawan Kalyan to seek his support to the the proposed March in Hyderabad on Monday against Telangana Governm-
ent’s move to remove Dharna Chowk from Indira Chowk area of the city.